


a shadow's bliss

by zogratiscest



Category: Black Clover - Tabata Yuki (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Developing Relationship, F/F, Falling In Love, Femslash, Friends to Lovers, Gender or Sex Swap, Genderbending, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pre-Canon, Romance, Useless Lesbians
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:28:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27938077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zogratiscest/pseuds/zogratiscest
Summary: nacht joins the grey deer, and yami falls in love with her. it pretty much goes downhill from there.
Relationships: Yami Sukehiro/Nacht (Black Clover)
Comments: 20
Kudos: 20





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sexualnt](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sexualnt/gifts), [sssunshinebreeze](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sssunshinebreeze/gifts).



William Vangeance approaches her with a mysterious young woman in tow five days after Yami returns from her latest mission and two days after she is back on her feet.

“I heard you were badly injured, but you look fine to me.” William offers her an enigmatic smile, lavender eyes glittering from the confines of her tacky and flamboyant mask. Yami only raises an eyebrow in response. “Julius-sama would have escorted her here by himself, but some things came up in the Capital. So I was asked to bring your latest recruit to you.”

“Recruit?” Yami glances over William’s shoulder, at the dark figure waiting patiently far enough away that she cannot possibly overhear their conversation from her vantage point.

Patient as ever, William nods, her smile perfectly in place and her eyes glittering with a mirth Yami does not understand. “Her personality is more suited to working out of your base, and Julius-sama wants her to be comfortable. She has a very useful magic—”

“Did I say I needed a new recruit up here?” Irritation is familiar to Yami. She should be used to this by now, understanding that Julius will have to make some decisions she does not personally agree with, but he makes the best ones he can. “I didn’t ask for one.”

“No one ever said you needed one, Yami. But you are being gifted with one just the same.” William chuckles softly; Yami scowls at her but otherwise says nothing more.

Her eyes dart toward the figure again, wondering what type of magic she must have that Julius took such an interest in her as to take her into their squad. Unlike most captains in the Magic Knights, Julius Novachrono prizes magical ability and uniqueness above much else and takes in people accordingly. It puts a target on their backs on occasion, especially with how outspoken he can be, but no more than having Yami as a vice captain does.

She still hears the whispers, because Julius cares about merit, but most people care more about the fact he plucked her off of a beach and had to teach her their language.

Sighing, Yami lights herself a cigarette, knowing Owen would likely frown at her for picking the habit back up so quickly after she left her bed. “Right. What magic does she have?”

“Shadow magic, more specifically manipulation abilities that I’ve personally seen. I’m sure she can show you the full extent of her power.” William’s eyes twinkle like fucking  _ stars. _

Yami says nothing for a long moment. Shadow magic. She wonders how this woman would have been treated with an ability like that, but it really comes down to her status more than anything else. Maybe if Yami was someone important, her abilities would have been prized instead of feared, but hard to say. Clover Kingdom is a fickle place far more than her home had been, which she would hardly have thought possible given… Everything.

Whatever. She makes do with what she has now, and apparently she has this new recruit.

“Name? Anything important I need to know?” She inhales, the flavor of tobacco and the burn of smoke a familiar reprieve for her nerves. She needs this shit, damn Owen.

William’s smile widens slightly, and Yami  _ hates _ that the masked woman is going to take this as some kind of evidence that she  _ won. _ “Her name is Nacht. Julius-sama wanted her to join the Magic Knights for quite some time, but she’s recently warmed up to the idea.”

“Any reason why?” Yami wonders what Julius said to convince her. He takes a liking to people with special magic and would do just about anything to have them fight for him.

“Not to my knowledge. She approached him recently and has been in and out of my base talking to him about it, so I thought she would be assigned to me.” William shrugs a shoulder, and Yami bites back a smirk at the thought of William being disappointed about the development. She  _ likes _ being a vice captain and a mentor, after all. “But I was told she would be a better fit for you, and then asked to escort her here to meet you in person.”

“What the hell did the old man tell her about me that she needs an  _ escort? _ ” Yami rolls her eyes. She knows her methods are unorthodox. Her  _ personality _ is unorthodox and the last woman like her who would have been a Magic Knight fucked off to who knows where, but even this feels a bit much. Even for Julius, who is a bit much about  _ everything. _

William laughs softly, the sound delicate and so very pretty. No wonder she has so many men sending her flowers and gifts on the regular, all of them trying to get her to warm up to them. “Nothing like that. He just wants to make sure she’s comfortable here.”

“I’m giving him hell for it the next time I see him anyway.” So the woman is important to him in some way, which means if Yami fucks this up, she will have  _ really _ fucked it up.

Great. Wonderful. Someone who fits in better with her ragtag half of the squad, but someone that Julius obviously cares enough about to want to make sure she feels safe and comfortable under Yami’s vice captainship. The sheer amount of pressure that entails would have crumpled a weaker person, but Yami rolls her shoulders underneath it and tries not to roll her eyes too much. Crazy old man has weird ways of looking at the world.

“I hope you do have room here for another recruit,” William says, and Yami snorts at her.

“Of course I do. You know we’ve got room, you’ve crashed here enough times.” Yami looks at the woman again, at her dark silhouette and the way her face appears to be tipped upward toward the sky and the sunlight. “Well, bring her over here, I guess.”

William chuckles and turns to wave the woman over to the two of them, and Yami watches her slow and easy gait as she joins them. She can confidently say she has never seen this woman before, because she definitely would have remembered someone so beautiful that it makes her heart momentarily stop beating before it beats  _ way _ too fast. That’s bad. That might kill her, if the strangely detached smile on pale, slim lips doesn’t do that first.

Oh no. Oh fucking  _ no, _ Julius is going to do her in by handing her a new recruit.

“Pleased to make your acquaintance, Vice Captain Yami Sukehiro.” Nacht has to tip her head back to meet Yami’s eyes directly, but few people don’t beyond that fucking banshee of a Praying Mantis. “My name is Nacht. I’m meant to serve alongside you, I believe.”

Yami looks her over, because Yami is shameless at worst and critical at best, and she really has never seen this woman before. Shadow magic sounds interesting; the analytical warrior part of her mind wants to know what Nacht can do with it. “How do you know Julius?”

“Informal as always,” William chirps, and Yami makes it a point to ignore her presence now.

“A friend of the family,” Nacht says, and nothing about the statement rings false in Yami’s ears. Probably a noble then. That says a lot. “I was told that I would flourish with you as my vice captain over Vice Captain Vangeance, though I’ll leave if you think differently.”

Probably she won’t end up staying for very long. “Where do  _ you _ think you’d fit best?”

“I think Captain Julius would know the two of you well enough as his vice captains to make that decision for me, and so I am willing to go wherever I will best fit.” Nacht’s smile remains perfectly in place, her gaze never wavering; Yami knows this expression is fake. Her ki is less controlled than her smile, the edge of uncertainty there easy to pick up.

Most people fail to hold themselves fully together in Yami’s presence. This is nothing new.

She gets it. She does. Julius picked up the little foreigner girl who washed up on the beach, the one with a snarl like a wolf’s and a blade she could draw faster than a wild beast could spring. Far be it from Yami to mind the reputation. She  _ likes _ knowing that there are people with far more reach and power than her who still stumble in her presence, because they deserve to. They should know exactly what kind of person she is.

But this isn’t like that. She knows what that feels like in every flavor possible, having read it in so many different types of ki at this point that she would identify it as easily as breathing. Nacht is reserved about something else. What that is, Yami doesn’t know.

“You went to William’s base first, didn’t you?” Yami asks. Nacht’s smile twitches slightly for a moment, and she sees a flash of ice blue eyes that make a slow shiver roll down her side. Those eyes and all that long, glossy black hair… This woman is  _ gorgeous. _ “Did you go there because that’s where you thought Julius was, or because you thought you’d end up working there? I don’t really care either way, but you should be honest about that.”

_ And if you’re trying to lie to me, I’m going to know it as soon as you do. _

Nacht cocks her head. The highlights in her hair shimmer a deep midnight blue in the blinding sunlight, and Yami can imagine how heavy and hot it must be in the summer. No wonder she has it tied back out of her face. “I thought I would be sent here, Vice Captain. But the other base was closer to my home, and so that was where I went first.”

So she joined expecting Yami to be her vice captain. “I guess you’ve heard of me, then.”

“You’ve almost destroyed several parts of the Capital fighting with a member of the Praying Mantis squad. Far be it from me not to have heard of you by now.” Nacht’s voice is as smooth and serene as the still surface of a lake, but mirky. Yami would not be able to see the bottom without diving in, and who knows what might lurk there?

William presses one hand hand to her lips, stifling a soft laugh; Yami scowls at her, then turns her attention back to Nacht. “So you know what kind of vice captain to expect.”

“Of course. Only a fool would wander into a Magic Knight squad without knowing what to expect from it.” Nacht looks at her fully now, and Yami realizes her eyes are exactly like ice. Not just in color, but in coldness. “But if you want me to prove myself to you before accepting my place here, I would be delighted to provide some reassurance.”

“You might want to move away from the front of the base if you’re going to fight out here,” William says, already turning, already casting her eyes likely for the area where Yami trains her squad. As if she ever cared about any kind of formality.

Her hand is on the hilt of her katana in an instant; Nacht’s icy gaze darts downward, taking in full stock of the situation. Her ki remains unmoved. “If you really think you can  _ reassure _ me, then I look forward to seeing exactly what you can do with your shadow magic.”

“Do you like interesting magic as much as your captain, or do you just like a challenge?” Nacht asks, and Yami bites back a smile at the question. Whatever Julius saw in her is still beyond her. “As you wish, Vice Captain. I would hate to disappoint you.”

Yami draws her katana.  _ Tries _ to draw her katana before something latches tight to her wrist and halts its movement, coiled around her forearm. She grits her teeth and manages half a step forward before  _ something _ grabs her, keeping her in place. A glance down reveals her fatal mistake, the earth beneath her suffused in blackness that threatens to yawn open and swallow her whole, spilling up around her boots to cling to her.

There are hands, she realizes. Inky black that dig into her legs, her arms, wrapping around her blade to hold it fast. She grits her teeth and looks at the woman in front of her. Nacht’s ki is the same, never shifting, never flaring, never changing. Her grimoire is nowhere in sight, meaning she can just  _ do _ this without having to activate a spell.

Dangerous. Very dangerous. Yami’s scowl twists into a smile that feels fierce; even William makes a sound of discomfort in her direction. “So this is what your magic can do.”

“In its most basic form, yes. Though it has other capabilities, too.” The shadow spreads outward, and Nacht steps into it, her gait just as slow, just as easy as before even as her body begins to sink. “But there are plenty of other things to do as well.”

Her ki vanishes into the shadows once the top of her head vanishes, and Yami stills, eyes darting to the shadows at her feet once again. That kind of ability could go far, could be used for spying. Maybe for assassinations, but that depends on how versatile it is—

Slender, delicate fingers cup the front of her throat, and Yami realizes that Nacht has not quite materialized yet. Rather, just her hand from the shadows drawn across Yami’s torso. “Such as this, which I think can be quite useful in certain situations.”

“It isn’t often that someone thoroughly manages to catch Yami off-guard,” William muses, and Yami glares at her and thinks about offering to take her own before sending her back to her half of the base. “This only makes me think Julius-sama was very correct in her placement. Unless you’d rather send her back with me, I can make use of—”

If she was capable, Yami would pull her katana on William right now. “Fuck off, tree girl, Julius sent her to me. Go back to scrounging for members on your own, will you?”

“No need to be rude, Yami.” William’s smile is so placid and yet Yami can almost sense the edge of a smirk hiding behind it, which is rude. Yami has not said a single damning thing so far, and she thinks she deserves some credit for that. “By all means, Julius did choose you as her vice captain. I was just offering it as a kind, friendly suggestion.”

“Kindly go fuck yourself, friend,” Yami mutters, and this time William  _ openly _ laughs at her.

Nacht spills out of her shadow magic all at once and directly into Yami’s personal space, which is a  _ lot. _ Especially when her magic is still holding Yami in place. Especially when that small, cool hand is still wrapped around the front of her throat. “Are you reassured, Vice Captain Yami? My magic is useful. I can do even more with it than just this.”

_ Just this _ is still going to be more useful than most magic in their squad, and certainly more useful than Yami’s own offense-based fighting. “I guess it’ll do. Let me go and I’ll show you to the open rooms in the base. We have a wing sectioned off for just women if you want.”

Maybe some in their squad thought that unnecessary, but Yami spent long enough slumming to know that keeping space for just the women in her squad is important to her.

“That would be suitable.” Nacht releases her magic slowly, and it feels eerily cold sliding off of Yami’s skin, pooling at their feet before dissipating into simple grey shadows once more. “A general tour would also be appreciated, but I understand if you’re too busy to conduct one at this time. You can always have another person show me around.”

William waves goodbye with a flutter of pale fingers, her gaze too sharp, too knowing, and Yami wants to say something to her. But not in front of Nacht, because she fucking  _ hates _ it when William looks at her like that. Like she did the first time Yami met Jack, as if it meant anything at all. Maybe she should worry more about her own affairs, given that nobles are usually expected to do things like get married and have kids of their own.

“Have a pleasant afternoon, Yami,” William says, and Yami flips her off without a word.

Nacht’s poised smile is in place still as she drops her hand, her fingers disappearing beneath the overly long sleeve of the shirt she wears beneath her Grey Deer cape. “I have very few things to bring from home, so it should only take me one trip there and back.”

“Take as long as you need. C’mon. I can show you around. I’m between missions.” And Yami has paperwork to do, but that can wait until later when she’s in the mood to sit down and waste her time doing something ultimately pointless. “How long did Julius bother you about joining the squad before you said yes? I know he can be pretty damn persistent.”

“He bothered me long enough, I suppose, because I finally gave in.” The purposefully vague answer has Yami lifting a brow in curiosity, but Nacht does not elaborate.

Finally, actually. If she wants to keep aspects of their relationship to herself, Yami is perfectly comfortable with that. The less Nacht says about herself, the less Yami is going to be expected to say in return. And people have had plenty of questions in the short amount of time since she was promoted to vice captain to the open disgust of other Magic Knights who seemed horrified at the prospect of someone like her sharing their status.

“Sounds just like me,” she muses. Nacht’s smile twitches. “Well, let me show you around.”


	2. Chapter 2

_ “She’s so beautiful, Nacht.” Leu’s eyes, the same delicate cornflower blue as Nacht’s own, glitter with an excitement Nacht has never felt as she falls back against the mattress. Her dark hair fans across it, violet where the sun pouring through the windows hits it. “She’s not what  _ everyone _ would call beautiful, but she is. She’s perfect.” _

_ “You’ve met someone in the Grey Deer?” Distantly Nacht tries to recall the vice captain that Leu is working under and wonders if the masked woman is hiding a lovely face behind the gaudy aesthetic. Not that it would make much sense to do so, but— _

_ Leu whines and throws an arm over her eyes. “I’ve only seen her from afar. She came to visit when Captain Julius was last staying with us. The other vice captain.” _

_ “The foreigner.” The words are the first thing to come to Nacht’s mind. _

_ A sharp kick almost dislodges her from the mattress, Leu scowling at her before hiding her eyes beneath her arm once again. “Don’t say such a thing, that’s what everyone calls her. All the nobles. How awful. She has a name, but they don’t care to learn that.” _

_ “What is her name? You know I don’t know anyone in your squad unless you tell me about them.” Because unlike Leu, Nacht has never been interested in such a title as Magic Knight. _

_ And she never will be, despite how fervently Julius Novachrono has all but pleaded for her to join since learning how her magic works. As if the Grey Deer need another shadow magic mage, and one inferior to who they already have. He should be grateful to have her sister and accept that as Leu’s kindness, rather than pester Nacht. Leave her to her peace. Leu is the warrior of the two of them, the one most likely to stand for what is right. _

_ “Yami Sukehiro.” The name rolls off of Leu’s tongue with such care and warmth, and Nacht smiles fondly at the way her sister whines and squirms on the mattress. “I’ve never seen a woman like her in my life. I didn’t know they made women that muscular and strong.” _

_ “Sukehiro… She’s from Hino, isn’t she?” Nacht recognizes the rhythm of the name from her studies, because while Leu might be the fighter, Nacht has always been more bookish. _

_ Leu nods, letting her arm fall off to her side, and her smile is so sweet it makes Nacht’s chest ache. “She is. She carries a katana and fights with it using her magic. At least, that’s what Vice Captain Vangeance said. She looked at me sort of funny for asking before answering any of my questions. I think Captain Julius brought them up together.” _

_ Nacht knows he did; the sheer amount of unfavorable rumors that spread from an older man taking in two young girls has not escaped her. Gossip runs heavy and thick in Clover Kingdom, after all. “It sounds like your vice captain is looking out for her, then.” _

_ “Oh, but I want to get to know her.” Leu sits up on the bed, and Nacht notes the faint pink flush in her cheeks. “I wonder when I might see Vice Captain Sukehiro again.” _

* * *

Her sister once called Yami Sukehiro a beautiful woman; Nacht Faust remembers this with a pang between her ribs that radiates through her whole being for a moment. She takes a deep breath to dispel it, and the woman at her side seems not to notice at all, still gesturing toward rooms and halls to make the layout of the building clear. The second base of the Grey Deer, established once Julius made it clear to the Wizard King that he absolutely needed two vice captains in order to conduct the Grey Deer effectively.

No one wanted to accept a foreigner when William Vangeance, a noble and an heiress, accepted her position with poise and grace. She was already established as an excellent Magic Knight and a wonderful leader when Yami Sukehiro finally came around. These are all things Nacht knows, because she never walks into a situation without all of the facts.

“The women have these halls to themselves.” Yami gestures ahead of her and Nacht eyes the places in the walls where unseen traps are hiding alongside the more visible ones. “Not that I think anyone needs the extra protection, but it’s nice to not worry about it.”

“That makes sense.” Nacht has been as quiet as she can be, listening rather than speaking, observing rather than partaking. The basic facts were easy to learn. The more difficult ones were not, and Leu was right. Vice Captain Vangeance was careful about Yami.

“There’s about four unoccupied rooms last I counted, so you have your pick of them.” Yami glances over at her, and Nacht meets her gaze silently. “My room’s at the end of the hall.”

“I thought you’d have a room sectioned off to yourself.” Like Vangeance does.

Yami shakes her head, her gaze moving back to the hall, and Nacht notes the way the cords in her neck flex with the movement. Again, Leu was not kidding. This woman is all muscle packed onto her frame. “Nah, there’s no need for that.”

“It’s different than Vice Captain Vangeance’s base.” Nacht only stayed there for a few days while her transfer request was processing, but she learned the entire layout of the building as quickly as possible just in case. If her transfer was denied, that base would be her unfortunate home. “Not lacking, but different. She has her own private quarters.”

“And she needs ‘em. I’m a lot less concerned about that.” What that means, Yami doesn’t elaborate on, gesturing for Nacht to follow her down the hall. “Come on, at least let me see which room you pick so I’ll know where you are. I kind of need to know those things.”

Fair enough. Nacht will probably spend her off-time in her room as much as possible. The home she once shared with her sister is full of far too many memories, and Nacht has no need for such a grand space. She prefers peace and quiet to immerse herself in, but with no one to wait for to return home… There will never be a break in her solitude. And thus keeping her promise to her late sister to carry on the dream Leu left behind.

One of her hands twitches, curling into a tight fist before she takes a breath and relaxes it. The anguish of having the bloody grey cloak laid in her waiting arms lingers even now.

“These two rooms here,” Yami says, nodding to a pair of closed doors. “There’s a room at the end not far from mine, and another just up from that. Take your pick of them.”

Leu would have been delighted at the prospect of a room so close to the subject of her affections. “Give me just a moment to inspect the rooms, then, Vice Captain Sukehiro.”

“Yami is fine while we’re at the base.” Yami wrinkles her nose, and Nacht merely nods and steps past her to start examining the rooms. “Is that how William makes you all refer to her? Nobles are something else, I can’t imagine being that stuck-up about a title.”

Nacht chuckles faintly and shakes her head. “No, she doesn’t. I was merely being proper.”

“Propriety doesn’t suit me,” Yami says, and Nacht silently agrees. “Take your time.”

All four of the empty rooms are the same for the most part, similar layouts with maybe only a change or two to really give them any defining character. Nacht knows this is on purpose. Most Magic Knight squads choose members for life, and rooms at bases are left as banal as possible so they can leave their own impression there, make it their home. Very few beyond royals keep a home separate from their base, and even then they split their time between them. Not William Vangeance, of course. She stays at her base.

Nacht lingers in the room adjacent to Yami’s. The chair poised by the window makes her think of home. She’d had an entire room for reading just to herself, something Leu insisted she should have after their parents died.  _ What else will such a stuffy room be used for? Change it as much as you like. The light is perfect for reading, little sister. _

“This one is fine,” Nacht finally manages, glancing back at where Yami leans against the doorway, lighting herself a fresh cigarette. “If you don’t mind it being so close to yours.”

“I wouldn’t have offered it if I minded.” Yami exhales a plume of pale blue smoke into the air, her dark eyes… Curious, Nacht notes. “So this room is occupied now.”

Nacht’s lips settle into what has become her natural charade of a smile. “So it is.”

“Welcome to the base, then, Nacht… I don’t know your last name, I’m realizing.” Yami huffs laughter and Nacht’s lips twitch slightly. Will she recognize the last name, then..?

“Nacht Faust,” Nacht tells her, and Yami only nods, rolling the name around on her tongue. No light in her eyes, no sudden realization. She must have never heard of Leu at all, but that is fair enough. The Grey Deer are a large squad, after all, neatly divided in half.

It still makes Nacht’s stomach hurt to know that Yami never knew her sister’s name.

“So take as much time as you want to move your things and settle in, and then let me know when you’re ready to start as an official squad member. Not gonna send you out on missions when you haven’t unpacked yet.” Yami steps back out of the doorway, and Nacht turns her attention back to the window, to the lush greenery and the bright blue sky overhead.

Shadow magic will make bringing her things here far easier than it should be.

She waits until Yami’s footsteps fade down the hallway before drifting to the door, shutting it and locking it to ensure no one will enter without her knowledge. And then into the shadows she creeps, the darkness of it washing over her skin and dimming the light around her until there is nothing but the comforting embrace of darkness.

_ “Did you find what you wanted coming here, Mistress Nacht?” _ The voice can speak freely to her here as she uses her shadows to quickly close the distance between the base and her former home.  _ “You didn’t let us meet your new vice captain.” _

“And you didn’t meet the old one, either, Gimodelo.” The familiar weight of one of her four devils settles on her shoulder in his usual place, claws digging into her cape for purchase.

_ “I don’t see why not. How long can you reasonably keep us hidden?” _ The question is not an unfair one, but Nacht still scowls at her shoulder. She can only see the shape of it through the shadows, but she can easily make out the bright glow of Gimodelo’s eyes.

“Your mana is suffused in mine as long as we aren’t using Union, so I don’t think I have any cause for concern as long as you all behave.” Easier said than done with devils, but Nacht has her four tamed down to an art. She needed to do that first before allowing Julius Novachrono entrance into her home, though he’d asked after her plenty of times.

The first time after the funeral, but her resolute  _ no _ did not chase him away then.

Gimodelo whines at her, and Nacht smiles thinly as she darts through the darkness, fast here, where everything is fluid and open to her.  _ “Why can’t we come out? I thought you said you needed us to keep that woman safe. She can’t even know we’re here?” _

“When all is said and done and  _ if _ you all behave, then perhaps we can arrange a meeting. But don’t count on it.” Nacht stretches a hand up and Gimodelo immediately presses his head up against it, his horns sliding between her fingers. “I told you before how Clover feels about devils, and that hasn’t changed. So we need to be careful.”

_ “I know, I know, I just don’t  _ like _ it.” _ The grumbling is familiar to her. None of them were happy to learn they needed to rest within her grimoire until the time was right when they had the freedom to roam about her home as often as they wanted to.

“You’ll adjust as time passes,” Nacht reassures him, and Gimodelo nips at her fingers with sharp, sharp teeth. Not hard enough to draw blood, a complete pushover. “And I’ll let you four out in my room as long as you behave. We should be able to proof it for that.”

_ “How long do you think it’s going to take her to find out you asked to transfer to her half of the squad?” _ Gimodelo asks, and the smile fades slightly from Nacht’s lips.

Her words had been a lie; she joined the Grey Deer fully knowing that it was William Vangeance chosen to be her vice captain. Julius thought it would be good for her, that William would understand her loss and serve as a buffer between her and any reckless actions she might undertake on missions due to grief. And while Nacht  _ knew _ he would make that call for her, she was irritated down to the core of her being about it.

William Vangeance herself was spared the truth for reasons Nacht does not know and does not care to find out. Julius merely stepped in, insisted that Nacht would be better suited to serve under Yami’s guidance, and officially sent her off to her new home.

“She won’t find out unless Julius tells her, and he better not after how hellish he’s made my life recently.” Nacht pats him on the head and Gimodelo protests when she takes her hand away. “You four are allowed to roam about while I ensure everything is packed.”

The House of Faust is tucked away in the rolling green hills of Clover, situated far enough away from the Capital to make journeying there a pain for everyone but Nacht and her late sister. Their shadow magic made it simple, there in moments while others would likely get lost in the lushness of the trees. Her parents were private people, and no one who successfully made the trip to their home seemed to question why they wanted to be so far away from the goings on of the kingdom. Nacht liked that peace and quiet.

Everything is cast in shadow when she steps into the bedroom that now formerly belonged to her. Gimodelo tumbles off of her shoulder and lands on her mattress, followed by his three companions, all of them racing off out of sight. Nacht lets them go, because this will be the last time for a long time that they have enough free reign to run around.

Nacht already packed enough of her clothes to suit her, as well as the most important books she owns. She can always buy more with what she makes as a Magic Knight.

She has a few photos of her sister and herself tucked into one of her books. The important ones and the not so important moments, but just the two of them with no other family members to take up space in her heart. Nacht may have grown cold and sharp since Leu’s death, but her twin is the only part of her family worth taking with her when she goes. Everything else can be left behind without any hesitance or regret.

Other than the photos, she has Leu’s Grey Deer cape. Cleaned of blood, Nacht scrubbing the soft fibers until her hands ached and her eyes ran dry of tears. Because becoming a Magic Knight was so dear to Leu’s heart, it seemed like the perfect piece of her to take.

Nothing else could ever matter. Nothing else could ever mean as much to Nacht.

“I’m sorry, nee-san.” The apology falls on deaf ears, because her sister can no longer hear her. “It should be you, but I wouldn’t wish this fate upon anyone else.”

Her hand drifts up to her throat. The cape of the Grey Deer hides the necklace she wears, the one that binds her to her devils, the one that binds her to her fate. Even if someone asked, she would say it was just a family heirloom, something an eccentric aunt left her. No one in Clover would recognize the jewelry of a devil-binding contract.

Necessary, to uphold her sister’s ideals. To fight as her sister once did, to stand for what Leu stood for. Because all of this is for her, no matter what others may think.

A brush of warm fur against her fingers has Nacht glancing down to see Plumede perched on top of her bags, peering up at her with questioning eyes.  _ “What are you thinking of?” _

“The inevitable end,” Nacht says, and Plumede nips at her fingers. “It will be quite some time yet, I imagine, but I still think of it from time to time. Are you ready to go?”

_ “I don’t understand why you would do this for a human woman that you do not know and do not care about.” _ Plumede nibbles at her hand again, and Nacht soothes him, stroking a hand down his back, her fingers tracing a path between his wings.  _ “Just because your sister—” _

Nacht smoothly cuts him off. “Because ultimately this is the right thing to do. It isn’t so much about just that woman, you know. The entire world is at stake if she dies.”

_ “And then you die,” _ Plumede says, and Nacht smiles faintly but nods in assent.

Devils are a fickle bunch, and Nacht understands that better than most. They wanted a deal they could not turn down, and so Nacht gave them one. Whether she succeeds or fails, in the end, they will get what belongs to them. Her body, mind, and soul, to rip apart as they see fit, as only those of their kind could ever really desire.

All in exchange for the  _ chance _ to protect the woman Leu once adored.

“Let’s be on our way,” Nacht calls out, and the grumbling commences once again with Plumede biting her, just not enough to make her bleed. “The Grey Deer await.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> since nacht's brother in canon does not have a name as of me posting this chapter, we gave him one, and i've simply used that for nacht's sister in this au because changing names doesn't appeal to me
> 
> anywho~ gorls


	3. Chapter 3

“You know, you really should stay on top of this paperwork so you don’t  _ have _ to spend entire afternoons getting it straightened up.” The preaching is familiar. Yami hears it every single month at least once or twice, more during particularly busy summers. “I don’t know why you let it fall behind, Vice Captain Sukehiro, you really should—”

Yami throws her head back and groans; the leather of her chair complains with her. “Marx, you’re bothering me. I know you didn’t come out here to bother me, but sometimes it feels like you did. Either help me sort this shit out or I’m sending you back to Vangeance.”

The threat, entirely empty, does its job. Marx Francois turns a slightly flushed face back down to the documentation in front of him. Even if he knows well by now that Yami would never actually  _ deliver _ on the threat, he clearly has no desire to risk it. Smart man, if a little stupid for coming to her base with a transfer order that still makes little sense to her. Julius still comes out to her base plenty of times to check on her and make sure everything is running smoothly. He’s still the captain of their entire squad.

He bothers her less often than William, is all. Because Yami made it clear a long time ago that she was  _ not _ some abused heiress in need of reassurance and guidance, and she did not appreciate Julius trying to hover over her with the same care and consideration.

“You still really should at least sign off on the finished mission reports so we can send them off to the captain,” Marx says, and Yami sighs and snatches one from his grip.

“What can I say? I get tired after having to fill these out. The old man knows what I have to say, and he usually whines about how I write it.” Yami glances down at the mission report, this one just a few days’ old, which is good for her, and adds her name and rank to it so Marx can deliver it this weekend, as he does every week.

Not exactly the  _ best _ system maybe, and doubtless William turns in all of her work on time, but Yami never worries too much about it. What matters are  _ results, _ and failure is dealt with swiftly, so success can wait in the wings until she’s ready to deal with it. Julius hardly cares about taking her reports later than expected because besides him, no one really pays that much attention to her unless she fails. It works out nicely for everyone.

“We should at least try to have all of this handled by next week,” Marx says, and Yami slants a glance at him.  _ What’s next week? _ “The Royal Knights Entrance Exam—”

“That’s next week?” Yami groans and drops her head onto her folded arms, not looking forward to having to accompany Julius as he requests each year. “Time fucking  _ flies. _ ”

“And you’ll have more paperwork to fill out for new recruits that we take in,” Marx reminds her, which… She has paperwork to fill out for their newest recruit, for that matter.

_ Damn it. _ Yami hates paperwork with a passion. If Julius has his way and she becomes a captain one day, she needs to appoint a vice captain who can handle all of this for her. The tedious work in exchange for her shaping and molding a future squad into perfect fighting formation… Not that it ever  _ will _ happen, Julius is just an idiot. Dementia setting in, or something, because there are plenty of people offended she’s just a vice captain.

_ Foreigner with that dark, creepy magic. _ She knows the song and dance too well.

“We better not take in that many,” Yami says, pushing herself up in her chair, running a mental calculation on how many open rooms she has left just in case Julius tries to stick her with more than she can comfortably house. “I think Vangeance has more room at her base than I do, anyway, so she should be the repository for them.”

“What a perfectly lovely way to phrase things, Vice Captain,” Marx says with a wince.

Yami signs off on another report, and some of the tension eases out of his shoulders as he collects it and neatens it for her. “She’s the nice,  _ expected _ type for this sort of thing.”

“Well, far be it from me to argue with you,” Marx says primly, and the tone of his voice has her snorting as she accepts another report from him, “but I think the way you do things suits the people in our base. Maybe not hers, but that’s why they’re with her.”

“I know, I know, Julius has an eye for which one of us is the better vice captain for each member of the squad.” And Yami sort of hates that about him, how well he knows her, how he can just  _ look _ at her and discern so much when she still works hard to keep him out.

Not that she hates Julius, or anything. He’s like the father she lost when she washed up on the shores of Clover, alone and cold and afraid. But it’s hard to justify letting anyone in after spending so much time alone, forming her softness into sharp, hard, cutting edges.

There just isn’t room for weakness or vulnerability in her now.

“I think he does, and sometimes I think he’s wrong, and that’s why people come here of their own volition sometimes.” Marx doesn’t mention that he’s one of them, but they both know his reason for being here has very little to do with Yami and William themselves.

Julius might come to see Yami from time to time, but he spends most of his time at William’s base and so Marx is here. Farther away from him, because sometimes being too close to someone is difficult enough to prompt sudden, sweeping changes. He’s an idiot, but Yami doesn’t think she’s ever seen Julius lay eyes on someone in a way that mattered. Turning Marx back to William would have been an insult, though, because he really  _ is _ good at everything he puts his hand to, especially matters like tidying her unused office.

...She really should put it to use more often, though, shouldn’t she?

“Reminds me, we have a new recruit I have to fill out shit for.” Nothing fancy, just acknowledging that Nacht Faust is here, and housed, and Yami will be overseeing her and responsible for her, especially her failure as it reflects on Yami as a vice captain.

“I saw her at breakfast this morning,” Marx confirms, and Yami glances up at him, curious. “She was with some of the other women. I felt like I’d seen her somewhere before.”

“She’s a noble. Maybe you saw her around the Capital.” Yami tries to wrack her brain for any memory of the mysterious woman with the shadow magic, but  _ Faust _ is a noble name and Yami does her best to avoid nobles other than the ones she works alongside.

Most of them dislike her simply for existing, all right, she has her reasons.

“Probably so. I introduced myself. She seems like a very pleasant woman. What kind of magic does she have?” Marx shuffles some paper around on the desk, then hands Yami a form she recognizes, the one she needs to fill out for Nacht. Marx is a good man.

“Shadow magic. I had her show me when she first came here.” Which had been a few days ago. She wonders if Marx simply didn’t notice her, or if Nacht was keeping to herself while she settled in— And why does it matter, anyway? “It could be very useful on missions.”

“Is it similar to your magic?” Marx asks, and Yami blinks a bit at the question as she fills out another line of the ultimately useless form. But Julius will need it, so fuck it.

“No, she can  _ meld _ into the shadows and use them to travel. She implied she could do that over great distance, too. The mechanics aren’t all clear to me because we didn’t talk about it for long, but for spying, it’s excellent.” And Yami wonders suddenly what the more offensive capabilities of it might be, what she might be able to do with that kind of power. Or if she uses it so she can make all of her kills up close and personal.

Yami touches her own neck, remembering those pale, cool fingers cupped against her skin from the dark swirls of magic painted across her body. She shivers. Very rarely does she meet a woman that intrigues her like that, and most of them hate her anyway.

Jack is… Her best friend which makes it  _ complicated _ and she hasn’t even seen that beautiful bitch of a Spade mage since they last ran into each other on a mission  _ months _ ago. Yami is too much for most Clover women, and the rare few that do seem to hold some interest in her treat her more like a  _ challenge _ to be overcome than a potential partner. Men are far worse, and even if she had any interest in them, the way so many of them think they can talk to her because of her status, or lack thereof, is disgusting.

Better still than what William puts up with, because Yami can turn down anyone with any words she wants. William can’t; Yami still remembers half-gagging on her beer listening to William’s calm patience as she shot down a potential suitor who wanted her attention.

“Vice Captain?” Marx snaps his fingers in front of her face and Yami jumps, her hand falling from her throat to the form in front of her. “You wandered off for a minute.”

“Sorry. Repeat whatever you were saying.” Yami gives herself a shake and gets back to work, because she really should have all of this finished up sooner rather than later.

Marx frowns at her, but at least he lets it go immediately. “I was saying that it might be worth testing how far she can go, or at least asking. Some spatial mages can’t create portals to a place they haven’t been before, so it may work something like that.”

“After the Exam,” Yami says, and Marx nods in agreement. One thing at a time.

It’s only at the end of the form that Yami realizes she forgot the last important piece of it all; Nacht has to  _ sign her name _ . Yami pinches the bridge of her nose and heaves a sigh, then shoves herself to her feet, gathering the papers in one hand.

“Are you running off on me already?” Marx asks, looking up at her and already indignant.

“She has to sign off on this,” Yami reminds him, and his expression eases as he turns his attention back to her sloppy work. If he ever grows a backbone and Julius actually  _ notices _ him in the way he wants so badly to be acknowledged, they might work out wonderfully together. Not for her to stick her nose in, though. “I’ll be right back once she does.”

Marx glances up at her, though this time his tone is lighter, more playful. “Just don’t lose your way back, Vice Captain. I’d hate to have to come chase you down myself.”

“Could make for some useful training,” Yami muses, exiting her office quickly and shutting the door behind her before Marx has time to think she isn’t making a joke.

Her office is poised far away from the dorms, which gives her time to sweep through the rest of the base for Nacht Faust before checking the woman’s room for her. She appears to be nowhere; the dining hall is empty, she isn’t in the baths with any of the others, a glance out the window at the training field yields nothing. Yami really should take her out there and demand to see the absolute best of her magic, just to be certain of her.

Yami’s job as vice captain is to send the absolute best-qualified members of her squad on missions, but she has no idea what Nacht is truly capable of. A taste of her admittedly unique magic is hardly enough to know what she would excel at; Yami needs to know as much as possible, her skills and her limitations, so she can act accordingly.

And… Her free hand wanders to her throat again. Maybe she just wants to see if Nacht can force her way into Yami’s personal space, ensnaring her in darkness once again.

Nacht’s door is closed when Yami stops in front of it, stretching a hand out to knock and hanging back to wait for a response. If she isn’t here, Yami will slide the form under her door and hope she understands she needs to sign it and give it back. She could have left for personal reasons, maybe visiting the Capital. Yami hasn’t ruled that out yet.

Soft footsteps on the other side of the door let her know that Nacht is still here, and then the door swings inward. Eyes the same color as the bright noon sky outside meet hers without preamble, and Nacht smiles that strange, half-empty smile immediately.

“Hello, Vice Captain,” she says, and her voice sends a small shiver up Yami’s spine as she leans against her doorway. “Can I assist you with something this afternoon? A mission?”

Yami shakes her head, brandishing the paperwork instead and watching Nacht eye it for a curious moment. “Just need you to sign this shit so I can send it off to Julius.”

“Oh, because of the transfer?” Nacht takes the papers from her, flipping through them quietly for a moment before nodding and turning back to her living quarters. “Come in while I dig out a pen to sign them for you. It’s rude to make you wait in the hall.”

Instead of asking why that would be— noble shit, probably, not something Yami cares that much about— she takes the invitation and steps into the room. It’s always struck her curiosity how her people personalize their rooms, a stark contrast to her own that is still almost as bland and empty as she day she took up in it. Not much to store there, beyond her clothes and her katana and grimoire after a long day. What more does she need?

The sketchbooks squirreled away in her bedside table hardly count, because she never leaves them out where somebody might stumble upon them and ask questions.

Nacht’s room is almost as empty as it was when she claimed it as her own, which Yami can definitely appreciate. The closet stands open enough that she can see clothes arranged inside of it, and a stack of books catches her eye on the windowsill, but she makes no move to go nosing through them. Nacht gives off the air of a private woman who wouldn’t want someone doing that, even if she leaves her things out for people to see.

So Yami leans against the doorway instead and waits, shoulder resting against the wood, not so subtle as she eyes up her new recruit. Slim but toned under her black shirt and matching pants, which meant she took care of her body. That was important. Plenty of nobles didn’t, and they hit limitations in battle far faster because of it.

Yami wonders if she’d be able to feel the muscle under Nacht’s soft, pale skin.

_ Bad thought. _ She knows better where her squad members are concerned.

“Sorry to make such trouble for you,” Nacht says lightly as she opens a drawer at her bedside table, pulling out a pen and leaning over to sign the documents. “I don’t really know what goes on with these things. I just know that I do what I’m told to do.”

“It’s not trouble, it’s just five minutes.” Five minutes she doesn’t sink into anything else if she can avoid it, but really, if the Exam is coming up… This is the better way to do things. Have it all neat and tidy in case she has to fill out more on Julius’s whims.

Nacht neatens the paperwork up for her and stands, and her ponytail swings gracefully behind her as she straightens. Oh, she really  _ is _ so beautiful. “I’m glad to hear that, then.”

“If you have time before the end of the week, I’d like to take you out on the training field and see the full extent of your abilities.” Yami takes the paperwork, glad to have it out of the way, one less thing for Marx to bother her about. “So that I can plan accordingly when it comes to mission work. I only saw a little bit of your power last time.”

“Of course. We can do that whenever you have time.” Nacht’s eyes travel downward slowly—  _ Very _ slowly, enough that Yami feels slightly hotter under her gaze. A gaze that stops around her waist. “And maybe you’ll be able to draw your katana this time.”

The implicit challenge in her voice has Yami smiling despite herself. “I definitely will.”

“I’ll be looking forward to it, then.” Nacht’s smile widens for just a moment, then settles back into its familiar shape once more. “If you didn’t need anything else, I’ll just go back to reading now. And if you do need anything else, I’ll be in my room until dinner.”

Private indeed. “Thanks for the signature. Hope you enjoy your book.”

Nacht closes the door softly once Yami steps out of it, and Yami does her duty and heads back to her office before Marx can worry about her not coming back at all. Now she has to get her work done by the end of the week, or she might not see that shadow magic again.

Yami groans at herself and shakes her head.  _ Not a squad member. _ Not like this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm going to bend canon in a few chapters


	4. Chapter 4

Nacht should have considered choosing something other than black to spar in.

Sweat drips down the back of her neck as she dodges another blade swing aimed at her throat. Darkness coils around the blade with a lover’s touch, wrapping steel in something far deadlier than a sharp edge could ever be. She bites her tongue and darts under Yami’s arm, the shadows at her feet moving with a heartbeat all their own. When they coil around Yami’s calves, the sword comes down, slicing at the magic trying to bind her.

“Nice try.” Yami is flushed high along her cheekbones, eyes narrowed in consideration as she sweeps a hand through the hair matted to her forehead. “You almost had me.”

The Grey Deer vice captain has been much more careful in their bout than she was before.

There are people standing on the sidelines watching them, though Nacht hardly pays them any attention. Her gaze is focused only on the woman in front of her as they measure each other. Keeping up with Yami is difficult. Nacht only trained her magic to be effective at what she does best, and hand-to-hand combat is not that. She would rather sneak up from the darkness and end a life than try to fight someone who may be her equal.

Some might call it cowardly. She prefers to think of herself as pragmatic.

“Did I?” The pages of her grimoire flutter and Yami leaps back  _ almost _ out of range of her spell. She’s good at figuring out when to move, when to dodge. Nacht wonders how.

But the jump is not enough. Tendrils of shadow lash through the air and finally succeed in coiling around Yami’s knee, taking her legs out from under her. It’s enough for Nacht to dare to move closer to her. Shadows dart up from the grass as Yami twists and slices at them, her sword cutting clean through when it shouldn’t be able to. What a fascinating ability. What more can her darkness magic do that Nacht didn’t anticipate?

_ She’s going to kill you if you let her too close, _ Slotos informs her, and Nacht brushes off the words as she dives at Yami. She wouldn’t. Not her own squad mate. Not for no reason.

And for a moment, Nacht wonders why she would even dare to have that thought.

“Risky!” Yami’s sword swings wildly, the tip just grazing the arch of her throat.

_ How? _ Nacht dodges her. She’s faster than Yami is with less bulk, but Yami is on her feet seconds later, chasing her down again while Nacht leaps back. She’d cut through all of Nacht’s shadows in record time, but even now they swirl back beneath her feet. Steady. Prepared to reform and strike once again, but how has Yami kept up with her so well?

Stupid question. The woman is not a vice captain for nothing. Nacht knows it won’t be easy to beat her, but she needs to prove herself so that Yami knows she’s here for a reason.

Not the precise reason, of course. But she wants her vice captain to trust her.

How fast do her shadows have to be? She darts forward to avoid a slash of dark magic that might have taken her leg off if she was any slower and wonders if Yami would do it. How fast does she have to be? How much can she slow Yami down, if she has to?

_ Don’t depend on that. She’s kept up with you so far. She might not slow down at all. _

Nacht licks her lips. They taste like salt. “Something more, then, to slow your steps.”

Pages turn. Yami aims another blow at her that never connects. The claw-like vice grip of shadow hands dark out from beneath her own feet to grip her arm. They slither along her body like a second skin, gleaming in the beaming sunlight above. Nacht takes a deep breath because she dares to, watching Yami twist in the hold of her magic. No stopping now. More hands, springing up, branching out, digging into her flesh, her joints, her muscles. Keep her immobile because Nacht has so few chances to get close enough to touch her.

A woman this big shouldn’t move so fast. The bulk of that muscle should slow her down, but Yami has kept up with her step for step so far. Fascinating, and brilliant. Nacht flashes her a smile and dares to swoop in close to her, her cape billowing out behind her in a sudden breeze. And she wonders if Leu would have enjoyed a spar like this just as much.

Less than a second. She  _ feels _ it more than sees it and dodges accordingly. Yami’s freed up an arm, the important arm, and the attack wasn’t strong enough to do much without the grip of both hands on the hilt. Still, Nacht is impressed with her. Grins despite herself, and charges forward again. Pages turn. The constricting pressure of her shadows drag Yami down, forcing her into the grass, into the dirt so Nacht has the upper hand.

She won’t be able to aim as effectively if she can’t move her arms back, and seeing her on the ground makes Nacht’s stomach kick in excitement.  _ What the hell was that? _

“Is that woman for real?” The voice comes from the sidelines. A man. Nacht doesn’t turn to look at him, her eyes only for Yami, on the way she writhes against the darkness.

“I’ve never seen magic that strong before,” a woman says, and Nacht snorts, because Leu was stronger than she is. Twice as strong easily, because she was a proper Magic Knight and trained herself to be powerful enough to handle anything. Until… Until she couldn’t.

The memory of blood-stained grey fur makes Nacht’s eyes sting in the sunlight and she forces the thoughts back. If she stops now, Yami will free herself and win.

“No one’s ever kept up with Vice Captain Sukehiro,” someone says, and Nacht bares her teeth in another little grin. Good. Let them be amazed by her prowess.

She doesn’t get a chance to strike. The flutter of paper is all she has to alert herself to something going on before darkness  _ cuts _ through her shadows. Yami disappears within it, a blackness so deep the sun doesn’t reflect off of it. Nacht crouches back, uncertain, eyeing the cocoon with distrust and letting her mana sensory work for her. Yami is definitely still in there, protecting herself with her magic. On the defensive. Nacht likes that.

Steel cuts through blackness. She waits until the last minute to dodge, tasting Yami’s mana on the tip of her tongue before she sinks into her own shadows to regroup.

_ “That woman is something else,”  _ Gimodelo cackles, and Nacht hums in acknowledgement as she catches her breath and feels through her shadows to ensure she doesn’t lose Yami’s position.  _ “You might want to be careful, Mistress Nacht. She plays very seriously!” _

“She’s a worthy opponent. I’d hope for such in a vice captain.” And she needn’t wonder if William Vangeance deserved to possess such a title, because she already has an intimate understanding of how Vangeance’s magic works from Leu. She knows the woman is fierce.

But Yami Sukehiro is different, an unknown, and Nacht has to be careful of her. She doesn’t want to suffer an injury because she let herself turn a blind eye to Yami’s power.

_ “Take her from behind and she won’t be able to attack,” _ Plumede offers.  _ “Her cocoon spell might fit around her but it should cast shadows inside of it. She can’t hit you if you’re pressed up against her back, she’ll be forced to concede and suffer the defeat.” _

“She isn’t capable of concession,” Nacht murmurs, and Plumede laughs at her.

But the strategy is not a bad one. She feels for the blackness of the cocoon, the heaviness of it, the bulk of the magic and hisses softly at how she can feel it receding no doubt as Yami looks for her. But she’s safe here, hidden, and as far as she knows there’s no way Yami can currently reach her. If she’s going to make a surprise attack, it has to be perfect, and any mistakes will cost her a victory. Nacht doesn’t want to lose.

If she’s going to be a proper Magic Knight, she has to be dependable. Leu would have wanted that, at the very least, for her to be capable of protecting people. Because that was Leu’s dream. That was all Leu ever wanted from the life she’d lived.

It’s a risk, moving close to the surface. But Nacht is fast and sure, and she rises from the darkness on a tidal wave of shadow that Yami turns to meet. The blade swings— And Nacht wraps her shadows around it this time, thick and dense, weighing the blade down. Slowing its speed, its trajectory, until Yami is straining once again to break her arm free.

“Sorry, Vice Captain Sukehiro.” Nacht steps directly in front of her now. She would have preferred catching her from behind, but this works. “I believe you’ve lost to me.”

And like she did when she first came here, she cups her hand around the front of Yami’s throat, the simple touch clear. If it was magic, or a blade, then Yami would be dead.

The skin under Nacht’s fingers is warm and damp with sweat, and she can feel the furious beat of Yami’s pulse. It would be so simple so squeeze until her oxygen cut off, and for just a moment, Nacht wants to. Just to see her face flush a little redder, to feel the desperate pull of air in her windpipe. Just to see what it would feel like to have a woman so much more imposing than her, so much physically stronger than her, at her mercy.

Smokey grey eyes watch her movements carefully, and Nacht wets her lips. She’s thirsty and should get something to drink. Being under the hot sun is clearly messing with her.

“Looks like you won,” Yami says, and the way her throat moves under Nacht’s hand is… Interesting. Fascinating. The subtle vibrations coax her to dig her fingers in just a little, and she has to fight to resist the urge. “You put forth a hell of an effort, rookie.”

“My magic is a bad match for yours.” Nacht forces herself to drop her hand, and the shadows wrapped around Yami dissipate into nothingness as she rescinds her magic. “It has its weaknesses, as I believe you saw, but it has plenty of strengths, too.”

Yami rubs the front of her throat. Nacht wonders if her touch is lingering there, even though she isn’t touching the woman anymore. “It was a good spar. Gave me an idea of what kinda missions to send you on, too. I can’t believe Vangeance gave you up without a fight.”

She hadn’t, but Yami has no reason to know that. William offered Nacht a place in her squad like she did Leu, promised they would take care of her and work with her and find a place for her, ensuring her magic would be useful. Perhaps that might have been true, but William Vangeance has more than enough capable mages at her side, and she isn’t the woman Leu loved. She’s only the captain that Leu aspired to follow.

And that means less, whether anyone understands that or not.

“I came where I would fit best.” Nacht wipes her forehead with the back of her hand. Water. Yes. She needs to get something to drink and sit down for a moment.

“And we’re damn glad to have you.” Yami rolls her neck, her shoulders, shaking herself before sheathing her katana once again. “At least I am, can’t speak for the others but they’ll fall in line after that performance. What’d you say your last name was again?”

Oh. “Faust. My name is Nacht Faust.”

“Can’t say I’ve heard it before,” Yami muses, and Nacht bites her tongue as she slips her grimoire back into her pouch. Of course she hasn’t. Why would she? “Do your family just not end up being Magic Knights often? Because a lot of noble families throw someone in.”

So she’d noticed that. “Not particularly, no. Currently there’s just me, but if I was capable of making it to the Grey Deer, then that should be satisfactory enough.”

“Wasn’t saying it wasn’t.” Yami raises an eyebrow at her, but Nacht ignores her.

_ “Julius Novachrono.” Leu says the name with a passion that sears every word, and Nacht hides a small smile at her sister’s enthusiasm. “He’s one of the most powerful mages in Clover, in a lifetime or more. They say he’ll be the next wizard king at this rate.” _

He’d chosen Leu, for her intelligence in battle and her skill at wielding her magic. But he’d chosen Nacht because Leu was dead, and he knew Nacht had no one else to lean on.

“Is there anything else you needed me to demonstrate, Vice Captain Sukehiro?” Nacht asks, not keen on revisiting those memories. She’ll have to relive them in her dreams and in her wandering thoughts as it is. She should stay in the present moment if she can.

If the abrupt change of her tone is upsetting, Yami doesn’t show it. “You know, you can just call me Yami. I already told you that. There’s no need to be so proper all the time.”

She had extended the invitation, hadn’t she? Nacht exhales through her nose and tries to calm her heartbeat. There is no use in taking out her frustration at the world on Yami when the woman has done nothing to her to deserve that. “I’m afraid I’m not comfortable addressing you in such a way. You’re my superior and should be recognized as such.”

Yami snorts. The sound is obnoxious and loud, and Nacht slants a glance at her. “Imagine that, some proper noblewoman telling me she  _ has _ to refer to me respectfully. That’s new.”

“I do as I should, as a Magic Knight.” Besides, if anyone knew what Nacht had done before coming here, she would be stripped of her noble status. She might even be exiled from the country if not imprisoned for making a contract with a devil. Much less  _ four _ of them.

Gimodelo cackles somewhere deep down in her soul, and Nacht bites her tongue at him.

“Well, I appreciate it.” Yami sweeps a hand through her hair, the long umber length of it pulled into a sloppy ponytail that she frees now, trying to tame it with her fingers. It looks… Surprisingly soft, and she flings it behind her shoulders with a shake of her head. “Y’know, it’s not always fun and games getting mocked and spit on by people. I know it’s a good time for everyone else, but I already had to grow up with that shit.”

She had? Nacht cocks her head. “Are you talking about here in Clover, or back in Hino?”

“So you know where I’m from.” Yami looks at her, as if gauging her expression, but Nacht betrays nothing. Of course she knows. “Most of your squad mates had to get used to that. You don’t seem bothered by it. Or maybe you’re just really good at keeping a poker face.”

“Should I be bothered by it? It’s a country, much like this one is. It shouldn’t matter one way or another, as long as you’re competent in your duties.” But Nacht knows what she means. She knows, because Leu told her, and because anyone who overheard the gossip would have known. There has always been less than favorable talk about Yami.

A foreigner with strange and disturbing magic. A woman who fights like a beast.

Yami palms her pocket for a moment, then frees a pack of cigarettes and lights one for herself. “I don’t know. Should you? Most of your countrymen seem to think you should.”

Nacht studies her. Studies the honeyed brown of her skin, the dark mane of her hair, the stubborn set of her jaw as Yami looks at her like something should be there, plain to see on Nacht’s face. Leu called her beautiful; Nacht can see why. She carries herself like a warrior, bruising from their spar, a scar here or there. Maybe others look at her and see only that but Nacht can see other things. How soft her skin looks to the touch, the curve of a hip down into thick, muscular thighs. She’s still a woman, of course.

Just… Not often treated like a woman should be treated. Not like other Magic Knights are.

“I’m not most,” Nacht says, and Yami arches a brow at her. A silent question. “If I willingly believe whatever I was told, I’d be made a fool of quickly. You’re Yami Sukehiro of Clover Kingdom now, whether anyone else is willing to acknowledge it or not. Nothing changes that now. And they should be grateful that you’re willing to protect them.”

And she notices something else. The fullness of Yami’s lips when the woman smiles at her around the butt of her cigarette. “Well, would you look at that?”

“If that’s all true, then I don’t see why I should have a problem with you.” And now Nacht brushes past her, because all of this talking has her parched. “Thank you for the spar.”

“I’ll let you know when I have a mission for you,” Yami says, and Nacht nods in assent.

Another Grey Deer member has water waiting for her, and Nacht accepts it with both surprise and gratitude. The harsh coldness against her tongue is wonderful, and she dips her fingers into the water to wash some of the sweat from her face. She’ll need to bathe after that. It’s been a long time since someone could keep up with her like that.

_ Not since us, _ Plumede purrs, and Nacht bites the corner of her mouth. That’s right.

Not since the night she met her quartet of devils and bound their will to hers.

She watches Yami stretch her shoulders for just a moment, tanned skin glowing beautifully under the sunlight, before turning and walking back into the base.

Leu was right. Yami Sukehiro truly is a beautiful woman.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> more gorls~

**Author's Note:**

> dedicated pretty much entire to es and sunny, who are absolute angels who listen to my mad rambles about these two girls that have utterly captured my heart.


End file.
